The Member of Parliament for the Asawase constituency in the Ashanti region, Muntaka Mubarak has cautioned against double standards in parliamentary proceedings following recent happenings where the Supreme Court overruled a decision made by the speaker of parliament.
Speaking with EIB’s head of political desk, Ibrahim Alhassan, the MP said that parliament is guided by three things; the constitution, standing orders and institutional forbears. According to him, the institutional forbears are not necessarily laid down guides and principles but are essentially the way things have been done that have worked overtime.
He states, “these institutional forbears are things that help you to work not necessarily because they are legal or illegal but it has always helped you to work. Anytime you try to deviate from them, you will be creating problems for yourself”.
He made this statement in light of recent happenings, where the speaker of parliament Alban Bagbin, declared four seats vacant upon a precedent done by former speaker Mike Ocquaye.
The MP claimed that in the 7th parliament when the New Patriotic party had an overwhelming majority, there had been some form of abuse of power which subsequently led to a decline in respect for the way things are done in parliament. He further stated in relation to former speaker Mike Ocquaye’s declaration of the Fomena seat vacant, “I remember very well that time many of us in leadership said that it was not right”.
Muntaka Mubarak’s major concern involves the double standards seen today in Ghana’s politics and specifically parliamentary proceedings, and he made that abundantly clear when he said in the interview, “The things that we said when Professor Ocquaye did that, we are saying something different from what we said that time”. He also said that he can recount at least four instances where MPs had decided to switch allegiances and yet parliament scaled quietly without the interference of the other arms of government. “When you leave your own practices, you will be digging yourself,” he said.
Muntaka Mubarak in rounding up his statement on the recent happenings in parliament cautioned MPs and said that “when you are in opposition you are a potential people in government so anything that you are doing, just know that when you are in government it will be played back to you so let’s be careful about the things that we do. You have to be stringent and be careful so that you are not seen as double standard individuals”
The MP further iterated that in carrying out duties, the house should have the interest of the state as well as the survival of the institution so that it can lost long and withstand challenges such as this.
Source: Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh/103.5FM/Etornam Kumashie
